To be Loved
by Daisy-daisy
Summary: Link finds himself wanting to know more about Marth when the blue haired prince breakes down in tears in front of him. Will Marth open his heart to Link or will he leave the elf to wonder just what is going on?
1. Chapter 1

I **don't** own the rights to any of these characters so please don't sue me. I'm dirt poor anyway so it really isn't worth the effort!

* * *

'Amazing,' Marth Lowell thought to himself as his sword connected with Link's Master Sword. 'It's incredible that he hasn't died yet.'

Marth pulled his sword away and swung it around with full force at Link's legs. The Hylian jumped into the air and back-flipped away from the prince, successfully evading a potentially fatal blow. Link turned to run from Marth but was surprised to find Ike waiting for him only yards away. Ike ran toward Link, his powerful arms bringing up his massive sword, ready to engage in combat. Marth prepared to enter the fray but was cut off by Pit, descending in a shower of feathers and raining a furious barrage of attacks at Marth. The young prince had only seconds to prepare his defense.

'Wow,' thought the Hylian youth. 'All of these fighters are so incredibly skilled that it must have taken years of honing their skills in order to fight with the prowess that they do.' Link was currently engaged in a struggle with the swordsman named Ike. He quickly dodged the blade, which Ike swung with incredible strength, over and over again, never allowing a single blow to land. Link thought to himself, 'He may be powerful, but his movements are too slow.' Link sidestepped another failed attack and quickly raised his sword, readying himself to bring it down on the other man's unprotected back. The blade fell, tearing through the flesh and fabric on Ike's back. Blood sprayed from the wound as Ike fell to the ground. He lay their motionless and then his body started to fade out and completely vanish in a matter of seconds.

Marth ran towards Link, sword poised to strike, when he noticed Ike's body disappearing. "So the elf boy isn't completely unskilled after all," Marth said to himself. He had already taken care of Pit, with the evidence being the incredible amount of blood splattered on his sword and body, and was ready to face Link in a one-on-one battle. Marth let out a furious yell and continued charging forward.

Marth's battle cry was the only clue for Link to turn around block a series of intense attacks from Marth. Link blocked nearly every one of Marth's well aimed attacks and managed to escape the worst of the damage he could have taken. He struggled to keep up with the pace of Marth's sword, Falchion, as he slowly gave up ground to the prince. 'His attacks are so intense and yet he's still so fast,' thought Link as he evaded a particularly nasty sideswipe.

As Link blocked attack after attack he noticed the blood that cover Marth's body. The elf realized it was not Marth's blood, but the blood of the angel boy whom Marth seemed to have defeated. Link watched the blue haired boy swing his blade, the blood and sweat on his body mingling and adding highlights to his already well defined form. Link blocked a blow that was aimed at his head and the swords locked against each other. As Link struggled against Marth's incredible strength he looked at the prince's face. Marth's cobalt blue hair glistened with sweat and was matted to his forehead. His eyes were not focused on the elf but, rather, were zoned out and gave Link the impression that Marth was battling his thoughts as well as the Hylian. The depth of the blue in Marth's eyes entranced Link.

Marth pushed hard against Link's sword. 'He's stronger than I gave him credit for,' thought the prince. He noticed Link focusing, sweat dripping down his tunic and covering his brow. Link's eyes moved over every part of Marth's body and the prince thought that the elf must be looking for an opening in his defense. Then Link looked up at Marth's eyes and, for just a second, Marth felt Link falter.

This was the only opening Marth needed. He gave a violent shove and Link stumbled backwards, tripping over a divot in the ground. Marth ran forward and plunged his sword into Link's stomach. The prince gave a sly grin as the elf gasped in pain. He rolled over onto his stomach and his body started to disappear. The first battle of a new season of the Smash League Tournament was over and Marth's figure began to fade from view.

* * *

Marth appeared in a room with the other three fighters. All three of whom looked extremely disappointed. Pit jumped up excitedly when he saw the prince starting to materialize.

"Here he is guys," said Pit with enthusiasm, "today's champion."

It never ceased to amaze Marth just how effective the technology was in this world. To start the fight, the competitors had only to step onto a platform where they're bodies were scanned. The scanners would then transport them, molecule by molecule, to the destination where they would be fighting at and then, when you could no longer move, or when the fight was over, the scanner would automatically transport you back to the starting room and would heal all of the injuries that one had accumulated during the fight.

Marth looked around at today's challengers. Ike, a swordsman from the same planet as Marth, was new to the competition, having taken the place of Roy. Pit, an angel sent by his Goddess Paletuna, who was also new. And finally Link, the Hero of Time, whom Marth had heard to be one of the first ever competitors.

"Shut up Pit," Marth said in annoyance.

Ike stood up and walked over to Marth, "Don't scold him just because he's a little over excited," said Ike. Pit and Ike seemed to have become friends already, even though this was only the first day of the tournament.

"I will do as I please," retorted Marth with a sneer, "and you had best remember that."

Link watched as the men continued to bicker. He looked at Marth in particular, studying the face that he had noticed in the battle. Link watched the prince's hair, which had been completely rid of sweat, as it bounced on his head. The blue locks falling into each their proper places and making it seem like a vast ocean. Marth's eyes were what Link was the most interested in though. Those deep blue eyes that had entranced Link during the battle were completely unaware of the intensity with which the elf body watched him. Laughter played in Marth's eyes as he argued with the two newcomers, watching them squirm uncomfortably in his presence.

Marth looked over at Link to find him staring intently at the prince. "What do you want elf boy?" Marth shot at Link.

Link dropped his head and muttered a barely audible, "Nothing."

Marth decided that he had had enough fun for the night and set of for his room, leaving the other smashers behind.

Pit blew a raspberry at Marth back, betraying just how kiddish he really was. "Jerk," he said.

"Ignore him," Link chimed in, "he was like this last time too. I'll admit that he has gotten a lot stronger since last time as well."

"You mean that he was always such an annoying pain in the…" started Pit but Ike cut him off.

"Just ignore him and he will leave you alone," said Ike. "Hey Pit, let's go get something to eat in the mess hall. I'm starving."

"Yeah, me too. Let's go," said Pit. "Do you wanna come too, Link?"

"No. I'm going to go meet Princess Zelda in the lounge," he replied.

"Suit yourself," said Pit as he started pulling Ike toward the mess hall.

Link watched as Ike and Pit ran to the mess hall. They really reminded him of two brothers even though they had only met each other a short while ago.

"Off to see Zelda then," Link said to himself.

* * *

Marth stormed through the halls of the Smash League mansion. He was not really angry but he did not want anyone to try and stop to talk with him. In fact, Marth put on this charade quite often when he was out and about in the building. He really was not friends with any of the people here either.

He approached his room and opened the door. Inside he could see his bed and dresser. The room was not overly lavish but it was comfortable for the prince nonetheless.

He took off his armor and shirt, placed them on top of the dresser, and then flopped onto the bed. Marth then took off his tiara and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed.

"What was his problem?" the prince thought out loud. "Why was he staring at me like that?"

Link had not paid a lot of attention to Marth in the last competition and had, in fact, avoided him just like the rest of the smashers. What did Link find so interesting about Marth that he would just sit and stare? Quite honestly, Marth did not want to form any friendships while he was here. He was here to get stronger so that he could fight the uprising of Medeus in his own land.

"Don't worry Ellis. I will get stronger so that I can save you and the rest of Altea." With those words the young prince rolled over and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Link sat in the lounge room with a great number of the other competitors and talked about the first battle of the season.

"I still think Pit should have won," said Luigi. "He may be new here but the skills he displayed today were truly amazing for a first-timer."

"Who would have known that Marth would be this much stronger?" said a disgruntled Zelda. She was upset because Link had lost his first fight.

"Oh well," sighed Captain Falcon, "there will be other fights and with how close this fight was there is sure to be a rematch."

The conversation continued like this for a couple of hours. Child smashers and pokémon ran in and out of the room and chased each other around, engrossed in a game of tag. The older smashers discussed the fight and got caught up with what had happened to everyone since the last competition.

* * *

Two hours had passed since the fight had ended and most of the smashers started to retire to their rooms to get rested up for the next day's matches.

"Hey Link," Zelda said suddenly, "I'm going to head back to my room and I know yours is in the same general direction. Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure," replied Link absentmindedly. As he and Zelda got up to leave, his thoughts once again turned to Marth. The young prince was a mystery, not only to Link it seemed, but to a lot of the competitors here. Marth's eyes were what drew Link's attention the most, though. What Link had seen in Marth's eyes today betrayed that he was more than just the harsh exterior that most people knew. During the fight Link noticed that there was a driving force responsible for the prince's ferocious intensity. Link was not sure whether it was just a hunger for more power or something more. 'What makes him fight so hard?' Link thought to himself.

These thoughts plagued the young Hylian as he and Zelda walked to their rooms. He was so distracted that he did not even notice the odd stares that Zelda was giving him.

"So Link, what's on your mind?" Zelda asked nonchalantly.

"Nothing really," Link replied without enthusiasm.

"It's not nothing," said Zelda, "you've been like this ever since you got back from the fight. It must be pretty important to make you this quiet."

Link knew that this was a question posed as a statement and decided to indulge the princess' curiosity. "I was just thinking about Marth," he said evenly.

"Oh?" replied Zelda, "what about him specifically."

"I was thinking about how much he has improved since the last time I saw him," said the elf boy.

"Yes, he has improved a great deal hasn't he?" Zelda replied. "He must really be trying hard to save his family and kingdom."

"Come again?"

"Oh you did not know?" asked the princess, astonished. "In Marth's home kingdom a war is being waged that drastically affects surrounding kingdoms and has uprooted his family and placed him in a position to lead an army against the usurper king that murdered his father."

"Wow," was all that Link managed to say.

"Hey Link, we're at your room," said Zelda, "mine is just down the hall. I'll see you tomorrow."

Link waved goodbye to Zelda as he stepped through the doorway and into his room. The room was not uncomfortable but it was unfamiliar which made it harder for Link to become accustomed. He took of his tunic, exposing his thin frame, and laid down on his bed.

'Maybe that's why he fights so hard,' Link thought to himself.' To try and save his kingdom.' It was only a vague idea but it helped to shed some light onto why Marth acted the way he did. "How can he stand to have no friends though?" Link asked out loud.

Link pondered this for awhile until he heard his stomach start to growl. "I guess I'll go get something to eat then," he said as he pulled his tunic back on and started for the door.

* * *

"No… Ellis, where are you?" Marth muttered in his sleep. He tossed and turned on his bed as if it was impossible for him to get comfortable. "Father… father where's Ellis?" he continued.

The young prince was covered in sweat and the sheets had been tossed off of the bed. His muttering continued as the nightmare world he was currently in occupied all of his being. Marth was reliving the raid of his castle home in Altea.

"Father… father? No, father watch out!" screamed Marth as he bolted upright, wide awake. Marth looked around the room as if just realizing where he was. He pulled his legs to his chest and slowly let the tears flow from his eyes as he recalled the terrible night that his father was murdered and his sister captured. His family, kingdom, and the things most precious to him had been lost in that one night.

As he settled down, he noticed that he had been sleeping a little over two hours and he also realized just how hungry he was. The tears finally stopped and Marth wiped his eyes on the corner of his pillow. His stomach growled and Marth decided that he should go get something to eat from the kitchen. He quietly put his shirt on and exited the room.

* * *

As Marth walked down the hall, towards the kitchen, he reflected on the dream that he had just experienced. It was not an uncommon dream. In fact, the prince had this same dream almost daily. Memories of the murder of his father and capture of his sister, burned into his mind and reappearing as nightmares. The fact that he even experienced these nightmares made Marth made at himself. "How can you be so weak as to let a simple dream rattle you?" the prince whispered to himself. "How can you be so weak?" he repeated. Marth knew that the dreams would continue and that was no comfort.

He approached the kitchen and noticed that the light was still on. 'Is someone else seriously up at this time?' thought the young prince. He did not especially like being around the other fighters and was not looking forward to meeting Falco or some other jackass at this time.

Marth walked up to the kitchen door and saw Link inside making a sandwich. 'At least it isn't Falco,' Marth thought and then he remembered the intense gazes that Link had given him earlier that day. The thought of the elf boy studying his face so intently made Marth shiver on the inside and wonder what it was that had caught his attention. Marth stood up taller, squared his shoulders and walked into the kitchen.

Link turned around just as Marth had entered the kitchen. Link saw the prince walk over to the fridge, almost gliding across the floor his steps were so graceful. "Hello Marth," said Link with a cheerful tone, not wanting to get on the prince's bad side. Marth only grunted a reply. Link decided that it could not hurt to try and hold a conversation with the blue haired boy. "So what did you think of the other fighters today. There are some pretty skilled swordsmen this time."

"I suppose," Marth said without enthusiasm, trying not to give Link more reason to talk.

"What about the angel boy, Pit?" continued Link, "what did you think of his fighting style?"

"He needs more experience," said the prince.

"And Ike? Have you met him before?" asked Link.

"I think briefly," said Marth, "why do you ask?"

"I thought since you are both fighting the same war in your kingdom that you might have met him," Link said. As he finished the sentence, Link saw something flash in the prince's eyes. It was just for a moment but it was so different from the rough demeanor that the prince usually had about him that it was easily recognizable. Link almost thought that it might have been grief. He continued to pry the subject, hoping to learn more about the prince. "Zelda told me today that your kingdom was invaded, is that true?"

Marth stood there, not sure what to say. Just the thought of discussing the memories that most tormented him was uncomfortable but the Link looked like he was not about to let the prince go without getting at least one response.

"Yes," Marth replied reluctantly, "the kingdom of Altea was invaded and the throne taken from my family."

Link could tell that Marth was not used to discussing this with other people and let the silence continue for a while longer. Finally, Link said, "So where are you and your family living right now?"

Marth looked down and Link could see pain within his deep blue eyes. Not wanting to make the prince say anything he did not want to, Link said, "It's okay, you don't have to answer. I'm sorry to have brought back such horrible memories. It must feel awful to lose one's family."

"Oh yeah?" the prince asked defiantly, "How would you know. The princess Zelda treats you like royalty. How would you know how it feels to lose your family and everything you held dear!?" Marth was almost screaming at Link by the time he had finished the question. He slowly sank to the floor, his back against the wall, and started to weep as memories of his family came flooding back to him for the second time that night.

The sobbing prince astonished Link. Marth had such a strong personality and would never have been caught crying surrounded by the rest of the fighters. Link thought that the memories of the raid on his kingdom must have been just too much for the prince to bear. The elf boy went over and sat down next to the prince.

"I'm sorry," Link repeated. "It must be truly horrible."

Marth just sat there clutching his legs to his chest, the normally bold personality shattered and exposing a sensitive and passionate interior. Link did not know how to comfort the prince but felt that he had to try and repair the damage somehow.

"I don't know what it feels like to lose a kingdom or anything to that extent but my mother died trying to flee from a war on my own world," Link said, almost in a whisper, trying to make Marth relax. "I never knew her really and when she died, a village of forest people took me in. I never really belonged there either because I did not have a guiding fairy."

Marth was astonished to learn that the elf hadn't grown up knowing the love of parents. He had assumed that because the elf was friends with the princess he had had a comfortable childhood and never known the difference between needs and wants. "I'm sorry," the prince said quietly, ashamed at how he had acted towards Link.

"It's okay," Link replied honestly, "I think that it is better to have never known than to have loved and lost. I really wasn't old enough to have had strong memories of my mother when she died so it isn't like losing my family at the peak of my kingdom's prosperity."

The prince marveled at Link's honesty. He sat there and stared at the elf. He took in Link's pointed features. His eyes were narrow and showed compassion that Marth had never seen in anyone else. Marth thought that Link's face was pleasant to look at with the blond hair hanging down and almost covering his eyes. What attracted the prince's attention the most, however, were Link's ears. They were tapered off at the end and, accompanied with his eyes, gave the elf an almost exotic look. The prince's gaze moved lower as he noticed the well defined muscles on Link's arms and legs, clearly visible under the tights that he wore. As Marth continued to look at Link, something previously dormant stirred inside of him. Marth looked away and blushed.

Link felt kind of awkward at having Marth stare at him so intently but he did not find it entirely unpleasant. He liked looking into Marth's deep blue eyes, the mysterious veil having been lifted during the past conversation. The depth of his eyes still amazed the elf boy who felt like he might be able to dive in and lose himself in their vastness. Looking at Marth, Link also noticed that the boy had quite feminine features. His lips were thin and soft looking and his face was thinner than what one might have expected from a guy. The cobalt hair that fell into his face made his blue eyes stand out even more. Link felt himself blush as he was looking at the prince.

The two sat in silence for a while. Marth's sobbing had stopped and Link felt a little bit better at having brought up the tragic topic. Marth turned his gaze back to Link and suddenly embraced the elf. This caught Link completely off guard because he was not expecting the prince to do anything like this. Link did not know how to react so instead, he just returned the hug, hoping to make Marth feel better. Finally Marth pulled away and he and Link stood up.

"Thank you," said the Prince with real compassion in his voice. "I appreciate you trying to cheer me up."

Link grinned and said, "I was just trying to make up for my rudeness earlier."

Marth smiled genuinely as he thought about what Link had told him. He wondered why he had pitied himself so much when there were other people who had had their families killed under similar circumstances. "All the same," said the prince, "thank you."

The prince turned to leave the kitchen but stopped in the doorway suddenly. He turned around and Link could see plainly that he was trying to decide on something. "Link," Marth said reluctantly, "when the fight schedules are posted tomorrow, if you and I are free at the same times, do you think we could do something… together?"

"Sure," Link replied easily, "I'd love to."

"Great," said the prince as he turned and started walking in the direction of his bedroom.

Link looked over at the counter, where his half eaten sandwich still was, and decided that he was not hungry anymore. The conversation with Marth had served to satisfy him. Link put the sandwich back in the fridge and walked out of the kitchen thinking about what it would be like to spend the next day with the complex prince.

* * *

Alrighty  
-wiggles- The first chapter of my first fanfiction is up! Woohoo!  
I'm so giddy. Feel free to criticize all you want because if you don't I won't get any better at telling the story!


	2. Chapter 2

I **don't** own the rights to any of these characters so please don't sue me. I'm dirt poor anyway so it really isn't worth the effort!

* * *

Link woke early the next day, despite have stayed up later than normal, and he had been plagued by thoughts of what the prince would want to do with him.

'Maybe he'll want to spar against me in the practice room,' thought Link as he sat in bed, the rays of the early morning sun peaking into his room and causing cracks in the darkness. Link swung his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed his tunic off of the floor. He decided that this one smelled too bad to wear again today, so he went over to his dresser to grab a different one. The elf pulled on his tights and stretched the tunic over his head. He put on his boots and green cap as well. "I wish they would have told us the fight schedule last night," complained the elf. "Then I would know whether or not I could dress casually today."

As he was adjusting his cap Link heard a knock at his door. "You ready yet?" said a very aggravated Zelda. "It doesn't even take me that long to get dressed."

"Yeah, I'll be right there," said Link as he walked over to the door, ignoring the unmade bed. He opened the door to the pouting face of Zelda.

"Took you long enough," she said, smiling, and with a hint of sarcasm. "I hope you don't move this slowly in battle otherwise even I'll be able to beat you."

"Okay," said Link happy that the princess was in such a good mood, "I'll get ready faster from now on."

The two headed for the lounge where the fight schedule for the day would be posted. They talked about the match held just the other day and also about the new competitors and how they though each would fair in battle.

"Snake looks like he's seen a lot of fighting already don't you think?" asked Zelda.

"Yeah," Link responded automatically. He was not really paying attention to the conversation. His thoughts kept drifting back to Marth's request from the night before.

"Oh fine," said Zelda, noticing how preoccupied Link looked. "If you're off later and want to kill some time then just look for me. Hopefully you're a little more talkative then."

Link nodded as Zelda ran off to gossip with the other princess. He did not even care that he had just made Zelda mad; he knew that her anger would not last. Link saw a large group of smashers gathered around one section of wall and figured that that was where the schedule was posted at. He waited for the crowd to thin out, and watched to see if Marth was present.

Link approached the group of people and as he did Marth stepped out of the throng. "Hello Marth," said Link cheerily. The prince looked at the elf for a second as if registering who the voice had come from.

"Hello," Marth replied reluctantly.

Link, who did not seem to notice, asked, "Do you have any matches today?" Marth answered with a simple 'no.' "Do you know if I have any matches?" asked the elf.

"Why would I?" Marth asked.

"Well," said Link, "I figured that since you had wanted us to do something together today that you might have checked my schedule."

"No, I didn't," said Marth bluntly. He started to walk off and gave Link a motion to follow him. Marth glanced around once to be sure that no one was close so that they could listen in on what he was about to say. "Forget about last night," the prince told Link. "I regret having placed that emotional strain on you but it is of no importance now, so it I would appreciate it if you would just forget about it."

Link just stared at Marth as he processed what he just heard. After the way Marth had acted the night before it seemed impossible that something so heartbreaking could be of such little importance that Marth would tell him to forget about it.

"As for today," continued the prince, breaking Link from his stupor, "I have no desire to waste it with you. I suggest that you go and find out whether or not you are fighting today."

Marth turned his back on Link and walked away. He thought to himself that Link's reaction was just as he thought it would be. It seemed to Marth that the elf had actually expected to be able to spend the day with him. Even though he had told Link that he did not know if he had any fights, Marth knew that Link had one in the early afternoon.

"It's only because I want to study his fighting style," muttered the prince, trying to convince himself. "It might be important to be familiar with it in case I have to fight him again."

Marth walked the rest of the way to his room in silence. He hoped that the rest of the day would pass without anyone bothering him.

* * *

Link sat with Princess Peach in the mess hall. He had been with her since the incident with Marth that morning. The Hylian did not particularly like the self important attitude with which Peach always carried herself. It made him feel as though he were talking to a brick wall. He would rather have been talking to Zelda, but she was in a fight at the moment. Link really did not feel like telling Peach about what Marth had said to him.

"So… the food that they serve here is absolutely horrible," Peach griped. "Back in Mushroom kingdom I have legions of servants to make whatever I want. Plus, they will make it over and over again until it is perfect."

Link just grunted in reply. He was not really paying attention to the princess. 'Why can't she just deal with it?' he thought to himself.

"Hey," Peach said suddenly. "Hey, Link? Are you paying attention to me?"

A clock in the mess hall sounded, announcing that it was noon.

"Hey Link, isn't Zelda's match over at this time?" Peach asked. "Why don't you go ask her how she did? I'm sure she'd like to tell you all about it."

"Good idea," Link responded, glad to have a reason to leave the princess. He was amazed that Mario could put up with the way Peach acted.

Link walked toward the lounge where he and Zelda usually found each other after matches. He could not help thinking about why Marth had told him to forget about last night. 'If I were in that position, I would rather have someone to talk to,' Link thought to himself. The young elf just could not understand why the prince had acted the way he had. These thoughts continued to bother him all the way to the lounge where he found Zelda sitting and reading.

"Hi Zelda," Link said, walking up from behind her.

"Oh, hello Link," replied a startled Zelda. "Don't scare me like that."

"So how did your match go today?" Link asked as he sat down next to the princess.

Zelda looked away, "Well, at least I didn't come in fourth place."

Link looked at her sympathetically, "That's good." He knew that he was failing to sound encouraging. "Do you think you could have done better though?" he asked.

"Probably not," Zelda answered with a sigh. "Samus is just an amazing fighter and I would have to practice for years to be as good as Fox. At least I managed to come out of the fight better off than Lucas."

"As long as you tried your hardest nothing else matters. Besides, you fought some pretty skilled opponents today," Link said hoping that he was cheering Zelda up.

"I guess," Zelda replied.

The two sat quietly and watched the other fighters go about their business. Link tried his best to put on a serine expression but he knew it would not work for long against Zelda, who often told him that he wore his feelings on his face. He was contemplating whether or not to tell Zelda about what had happened between him and Marth the night before.

"Hey, Zelda," Link asked tentatively. "Can we go to my room so that I can talk to you privately after my fight?"

Zelda was a little taken aback by this question but quickly regained her composure. "Sure Link, by the way, when is your fight?"

A clock chimed announcing that it was one o'clock. "Actually," Link said as he stood up from the seat, "my match starts in fifteen minutes."

* * *

Marth sat in the middle of the floor in his room. He had only his shirt and pants on because he did not have a match that day. He had come back to his room after checking the schedule and, after sleeping for the rest of the morning, had decided to try his hand at meditating. Marth had hoped that taking this time would help him sort out the thoughts that had recently been plaguing him.

Marth found that he was unable to forget the hurt and disappointed look that Link had when Marth had told him to forget about what had happened the night before. The blue haired prince really did not want to hurt Link on purpose, but he did not want to have an emotional attachment to anyone here. Based on Marth's experiences, he thought that it was better not to become attached to people because they could be taken away or even killed before your very own eyes.

Yet, he could not stop thinking about Link. The elf had seemed to genuinely care about Marth. He also seemed to understand, better than anyone Marth had ever met, about what Marth was going through. Marth found it odd that Link could understand the hurt of having one's family killed, when the elf had admitted to never actually having a family. It was not something that Marth found unsettling, quite the opposite in fact. He felt comforted by the fact that there was someone that could understand him.

'I wonder if he would even talk to me after what I said to him this morning?' Marth thought to himself. 'He looked like I really hurt him by saying to forget what happened last night.'

Marth looked over at his alarm clock. It displayed the time one ten. 'It's almost time for Link's match,' the prince thought. He stood up from his sitting position and walked over to the door. As he opened it, he silently told himself that, if Link won, he would try to congratulate him and apologize for what he had said earlier that day.

* * *

Link stood ready when a disembodied voice announced the start of the fight. "Ready… GO!" it shouted. Link charged from his starting position aware of every muscle in his legs stretching and contracting to move him toward his target, Charizard. The large, dragon-like pokémon saw Link coming out of the corner of its eye and readied to spew fire in the swordsman's direction. Link saw the first chance to gain an advantage and thought, 'Red isn't a very skilled trainer to give me an opening this early in the fight," as he stopped his breakneck run and tossed a bomb at the dragon's gaping maws.

Fire erupted from Charizard's mouth and, before it had time to realize what was happening, it was blown backwards from the force of the bomb exploding in its face. It flapped its mighty wings to regain its footing and when it looked up, saw Link charging forward, sword to the side and ready to impale the beast if it did not move out of the way. It had another idea though and ripped a large rock out of the ground. Charizard gave a loud roar and hurled the boulder in Link's direction. The elf was far enough away to dodge, though, and easily jumped out of the way.

Link's forward motion had only been stalled for a moment and he dashed forward, quickly regaining his momentum. Charizard was stunned by the elf's quick recovery and paused for a moment. Link pulled out a claw-shot, aimed it at Charizard, and shot. It was a direct hit and reeled in the surprised lizard. Link was ready with his sword and made a slicing motion at the flailing beast just before it managed to escape. Blood gushed from Charizard's stomach, spraying Link full in the face as the dragon spread its wings and took to the air where it could target the elf from the sky.

Link quickly took out his bow and released arrow after arrow at the flying lizard, once again catching it unprepared. The arrows tore at the soft leather between its wings causing it to loose balance and plummet to the ground below. As Charizard fell, Link tossed a bomb to the spot where it would land at and thought, 'this is over.'

Charizard hit the ground and the bomb exploded sending it flying in the direction of the rushing swordsman. Link brought his blade over his head and ran it through his enemy's throat as it hit the ground just inches away from him. Charizard slumped to the ground as blood erupted from where the sword was lodged in its neck. Link glanced satisfactorily at the pokémon at his feet while blood continued to spray the front of his tunic. The fight was over and he could feel the peculiar sensation of his body beginning to dissolve.

* * *

Marth was watching the entire fight unfold on a large television in the lounge. Many of the other fighters gave him weird looks because he had never been present to watch another person's fight before and his sudden presence surprised them. 'Let them think what they want,' Marth thought to himself, 'I don't care.' He turned his attention to the live video feed of the fight.

'Link has already won this,' Marth judged; 'It was over when the bomb blew up in Charizard's face.' Suddenly, Charizard took to the air on screen and Link began to fire off rounds of arrows at the pokémon. The camera, which competitors were completely unaware of while fighting, zoomed in on Link's face. Marth watched intently, noting the look of extreme concentration on the elf's face.

The angle of the camera changed yet again, as Charizard began to fall to the earth below, adopting an aerial view. Marth saw Link toss a bomb under the plummeting dragon and watched as he began to dash toward the place that Charizard would land. 'He looks like he has never undergone a single day of training,' Marth thought to himself. 'Yet all of his attacks flow together and he can dictate the course of the battle.' Marth was astonished that Link's skill in battle was all self-taught. 'What must he have been through in order to have that kind of skill?'

Before the prince knew it the battle was over. Link had taken no damage during the course of the fight and, if it were not for the miraculous healing technology of the scanners, Charizard would not have been doing too much strenuous activity if it was even lucky to survive. Link and Charizard began to disappear on the screen and Marth decided to go and congratulate the swordsman.

* * *

"Well, that was easy," Link said to himself as he began to reappear in the scanner room. Red and Charizard were already gone and Link figured that they would head to the training facilities fist thing to improve after such a humiliating defeat. The machine beeped, signifying that it was done healing what needed to be healed, and Link stepped off of the platform. He thought about having asked Zelda to speak with him after his fight and walked over to the door to open it.

Link opened the door only to find Marth standing there and looking surprised, his hand extended as if he were about to grasp the handle and open the door himself. "Hello Marth," Link said sounding as friendly as he could, "you don't have a fight today so what brings you here?"

It took Marth a second to register what Link had said but he quickly regained his composure. "I came to congratulate you on the last fight," Marth said, trying not to sound like he was forcing the words out. "I watched it in the lounge and was quite impressed with the efficiency with which you dispatched Red's Charizard."

Marth's last comment caught Link off guard because he had never known Marth to attend a viewing of any fight. "Thank you," replied the elf. "Red just needs to work on leading into the fight a little bit more but he is already quite a skilled trainer."

Link's modesty reminded Marth of the night before when Link had told Marth about his upbringing. It occurred to the prince that Link was an entirely honest person who took it upon himself not to brag or belittle others. 'Is that why it was so easy to talk to him?' Marth asked himself.

The two stood in silence for a while and looked about, never making eye contact and trying to seem like they had nothing important that they needed to go and do. Marth decide to speak first.

"So Link… do you have anything that you need to go do?" the prince tried to ask nonchalantly.

"Not really. I hadn't planned to do anything after the fight," Link answered having once again remembered about having asked to meet with Zelda.

"Well, could I talk to you?" Marth asked suddenly.

"Sure," Link said, surprised by Marth's sudden directness. "Sure we can talk, what about?"

"I was hoping maybe you would come to my room and we could talk there," Marth said. "It is a little more private opposed to just standing around here."

"Okay Marth," Link replied, taken aback by this request.

"Thanks Link," Marth said with the same compassion that he had displayed the night before. "No time to waste then," said the prince as he turned and started to lead Link in the direction of his room. Link suddenly wondered what had just happened.

* * *

Zelda sat in the lounge waiting for Link to arrive. His match against the pokémon train had gone extremely well and she wanted to congratulate him. The princess wondered if Link remembered about what he had asked her earlier in the day; if he could talk to her privately.

She had been there since the end of the fight, almost thirty minutes ago, and had not moved once, except to chase after Red to tell him better luck next time and to cheer up, because he did well against such a tough opponent. Zelda sat for another fifteen minutes until she decided to go to her room, disappointed, because Link had obviously forgotten.

* * *

Marth and Link sat on his bed having only just arrived at Marth's room. Link looked around the room and found that it was not all that different from his own. It looked a little bit neater but he supposed that it was because Marth had grown up as royalty and was taught to be clean. Link looked over at Marth only to have the prince suddenly turn his head in the opposite direction, as if he was ashamed for looking at the other swordsman.

"So," Link said almost reluctantly, "what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

Marth looked back over at Link. "I wanted to apologize for this morning," Marth said, lowering his head so that he spoke more to the bed than to Link. "What I said was very rude and I did not want to leave that kind of impression on you."

"You don't need to apologize for that Marth," Link replied honestly. "You obviously had a reason for telling me to forget what happened so it is none of my business."

"No Link. I just didn't give you a choice in whether or not you wanted to here me last night. Now at least you can decide whether or not you wanted to know or even cared."

Link tried not to let his astonishment show. Why would Marth want him to have a choice in having heard what he did last night? "It's okay. I'm not going to forget any time soon but you don't have to feel like I won't respect you any less," Link said. "We all have things that we don't want to remember and that we don't care to share. I'm glad that you feel comfortable talking with me though."

The prince looked at Link again. It showed clearly on his face that he was speaking the truth and that he cared enough to let Marth burden him with his own problems. Suddenly Marth wondered what kind of life the elf lived that had made him so compassionate towards others' plights.

"Thank you Link," Marth replied. "I'm glad that you understand. I don't mean to sound intrusive but what is life on your world like?"

"Oh," said Link, not expecting a question like this. "Well, there isn't anything like the technology there is here. It's a lot simpler but it is also the simplicity that makes it beautiful. The fields of Hyrule are quite a site to behold during planting season."

Marth watched Link as he continued to talk about his home land. Link's face was lit up and his eyes glowed as if he were really there and seeing what he was describing. It struck Marth that Link was concentrating on remembering the terrain of his home but it was a more serine concentration than that of battle. Marth watched the elf's face, glowing with happiness, and went over all of the features that he had noticed last night. His pointed ears and narrow eyes. His hair that hung down into his face. Marth also noticed how pointed his chin was. Instead of having a boxlike chin, the elf's chin was slightly pointed just like the rest of his features.

Marth also noticed Link's lips, moving with the flow of what he was saying. They were not thin but they were not overly large either. Marth wondered if Link's lips were just as warm as Link's body had been when he hugged him. Marth did not know why but he felt drawn to Link's lips now. He wanted to know what they felt like. If they were as smooth as they looked and if they were as warm as the hug had been.

Marth realized that he had inched closer to Link and drew back slowly, not wanting to surprise the elf. Marth suddenly remembered a statement that Link had made the night before. 'I wonder why he said it like that,' Marth thought to himself before giving his question voice.

"Hey Link? Isn't the saying 'it is better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all'? Why did you say it oppositely last night?"

Link was surprised by Marth's sudden seriousness. He had not expected the prince to remember something as fleeting as that one statement. It was not that it bothered Link that he had to answer the question, it just surprised him. "Well, I did say it opposite on purpose," the Hylian youth proceeded to say. "I think that if one never really knows what love is then they don't know what they are missing. And yet, if a person had grown up knowing love and then it was taken away forever, I think that the pain of losing something so important to them would drive them insane."

Link's answer was not what the prince had expected. In fact it was so much deeper than anything he would have been able to come up with by himself. "I guess I've never really thought about it that way." It suddenly made more sense this way, than what it was supposed to be, to Marth. "Are you referring to your mother when you say that it the pain would drive someone insane?" Marth said, before realizing just what it was that he had said.

Link stiffened a little as Marth's question registered in his mind. He sat on the edge of the bed trying not to look as if the question had fazed him too much but knew he was failing.

Marth realized that he had stepped out of bounds in asking Link about his mother. 'He must still be very sensitive about it,' thought Marth. "It's okay. You don't have to answer. I overstepped the boundaries."

"No, it's okay," Link finally said. "You've really made me feel comfortable with sharing my experiences with you. And yes. I am referring to my mother. I think that, had I known her better, I would have wanted to die with her instead of having lived." As he said this he looked at the floor, hoping that he did not sound too self-pitying.

All Marth could do was to look at Link. The elf stared at the ground hiding his eyes from the prince as if he did not want to be seen. Marth could understand the feelings that Link was describing to him all to well. The raid on his castle that tore his family away from him seemed to have taken root in the prince's mind. The memories resurfacing and controlling his conscience, 'Link understands this better than anyone else,' the prince thought to himself. 'Why did I push him away like all of the others in the last competition? He knows exactly how I feel and is caring enough to have listened to me last night.'

Marth saw something shine on the quiet elf's face and realized that it was a tear making its way down to the end of his chin. 'He's crying?' was all that Marth could think. 'He put up such a strong front about being glad that he didn't know his mother too well but he still mourns for her and grieves over her death.'

Marth looked at Link again and said, "But you didn't die and you had the strength to live on." Link wiped his eyes on his sleeve and looked up at Marth. The princes' blue hair hung down into his bottomless eyes, now filled with compassion. His lips were pulled into a sort of sad smile that made Link want to touch them, made him want to feel the warmth of their kindness.

"If it were me, I know I would have wanted to die right there," Marth said. "After my sister was captured I didn't know what to do, so I wandered around until I came across an army rebelling against Medeus' reign. If it weren't for them, I would have probably still been wandering around in alleys not knowing whether I wanted to live or die."

Link stared at Marth as he said these words. He could plainly see the inner turmoil that these memories had brought upon him. 'To have lived through all of that and still have the strength to fight,' Link thought. 'That is what gives him strength though. He wants to save Altea and his sister.'

"But that is what makes you human," Link said to the prince. "Seeing your kingdom and your family killed is reason enough for anyone to want to die, but you have the capacity to fight to try and save them even after they seem lost."

Link's words made no sense to Marth, who knew nothing else except the love of his family, and the grief of trying to put his world back together after they were ripped away. This was just how he lived. It seemed to him that there was no other way he could survive except by trying to save what he loved.

"At least you are fighting to save lives," Link suddenly said, "unlike others who fight only for power and personal gain." As he said these words his thoughts suddenly drifted to Ganondorf whom he was in a constant struggle with. It would be impossible for a person like that to even guess at what it felt like to lose something so precious.

Marth thought about what Link had just said. 'Was he referring to Medeus when he said some fight for power alone? At least he thinks I am not fighting in a pointless war.' Marth leaned a little closer to Link glad that he had found someone he could talk to without feeling like he had to put on a front and deny his emotions. He moved even closer to the elf, who did not seem to realize, and then quickly wrapped his arms around Link.

Link flinched at the sudden contact but was glad that the blue haired prince was not feeling as though he was being forced to share these horrors with him. Link silently returned the embrace and looked at Marth, surprised to see the prince gazing intently at his face. He looked at Marth, remembering what he had felt earlier. The kind of warmth that he had imagined Marth possessing. Slowly, he moved his face closer to Marth's, aware of the prince in his arms tensing up. His lips brushed against Marth's and the prince pulled back in alarm, not having expected Link to do something like that.

"I'm sorry," Link suddenly said as he stood up from the bed. "I just remembered something that I had promised I would do for Zelda today."

Marth stood up and walked over to the door, still a little shaken by what had happened. "It's okay. Thank you for talking with me," the prince said, "and… I'm glad that you accepted to my apology."

Math opened the door and Link stepped outside, trying not to look like he wanted to leave too badly. "What are friends for?" Link asked, unsure of what that statement was even supposed to mean. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Link started down the hall in the direction of the lounge.

"Yeah… tomorrow," Marth said quietly as he closed the door. The prince slowly sat down on his bed and brought his fingers to his lips, barely even touching them. 'Link just tried to kiss me,' the prince thought to himself. 'Was he thinking the same thing that I was?' Marth sat on the edge of his bed for a while longer before deciding that he needed some sleep.

* * *

'Stupid, stupid,' Link thought to himself. 'What were you doing? How could you even think about kissing Marth? Come on! He's a guy!.'

Link continued to walk down the hall when he realized that he was nearing his room. He thought that a little sleep would clear his mind.

* * *

Ganondorf Dragmire sat on the bed in his room, having just awoken from a dream that had shaken him to the core. I was not often that something made the triforce of powers' bearer feel this much pain. The man stared off into space, memories of his home, Gerudo, plaguing his mind.

He yelled and punched the wall of his room as hard as he could but it made no difference. The walls of the mansion were built to withstand any kind of beating and even the dark wizard's magick could not damage them.

Ganondorf looked at the floor and began to weep, the dream of his village permeating his every thought and overriding all reason. As the only male born in one hundred years, he had assumed the role of the village's king. All of the decisions that he made were for the good of the village yet nothing he did could change the forces of nature that plagued the Gerudo tribe with sandstorms and long, constant droughts.

He looked at the back of his left hand, the triforce of power burning brightly. The man clenched his fist, thinking about the other two triforce bearers who would not relinquish their magicks to him. He needed the power of the goddesses to bring new life to the land on which his village depended, and yet the stuck up princess and her hero boy would not let him have the triforces.

He cried out in a mix of anger, frustration, and grief. Anger at not being strong enough to take the triforces. Frustration with himself for not being able to best a mere child. And grief for leaving his village to suffer without him while he searched for a way to save them.

Ganondorf punched the wall again. The dull thud was no comfort to the grieving king. "I will have those triforces," he whispered to himself. "I will save Gerudo."

* * *

Hurray! wiggles and rolls around on the floor  
Chapter two is done. (echoing sound of the word 'done')  
I'm so happy. So I got two reviews for the first chapter (in truth I was expecting less) but no criticism?  
I need help to become a better writer so I need all of the helpful hints that I can get.  
If anyone hase suggestions please tell me. says under my breath 'or i will eat you' JK


	3. Chapter 3

I **don't** own the rights to any of these characters so please don't sue me. I'm dirt poor anyway so it really isn't worth the effort!

* * *

As Link sat in bed, he recalled the sensation of his and Marth's lips touching. Marth's lips were so soft and warm that it was almost unbearable for Link to think about. That little bit of contact made the elf long for more, it made him want to wrap his arms around Marth and smother him with affection that had long been missing from the grieving prince's life.

Marth's reaction to Link's touch made the elf worry that any more may make Marth come to hate him. 'I don't want Marth to hate me,' Link thought to himself. 'How can I even look at him though? He must be furious with me.'

Link slowly crawled out of bed and stripped himself of his shirt and leggings as he walked over to the shower. He hoped that the steam and hot water would help him clear his head. The war water hit his chest and rolled down to the floor. The comfort of the relaxing shower did little to calm Link's worried mind. Rather than calming him, the monotony of the task made it all that much harder for Link to force thoughts about Marth out of his mind.

The elf turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel to dry off with. 'Maybe I'll just leave Marth alone for today,' Link thought. 'That way I don't do anything to upset him.' Relatively pleased with his idea, Link finished drying off and walked over to the dresser to get his clothes, wondering if he or Marth would have a match later that day.

* * *

Marth was already up and ready for the day, his breast plate gleaming under the lights of the smash mansion. He had already checked the fight schedule so he knew that he and Link both had matches. He would not be able to watch Link though because his match was at the same time, though on a different stage. This disappointed the young prince, as he had found Link's fight with the Charizard to be quite a show.

Since the night before Marth had had trouble putting Link out of his mind. He had not been able to sleep at first, because he was so surprised that Link had tried to kiss him, and when he did sleep he was disturbed by nightmares. They were not the usual flashbacks to the night of the raid though, and that bothered Marth a little bit.

His match was not until noon so he sat down in a chair in a corner of the lounge area, trying not to draw to much attention to himself as he started to read a newspaper filled with the going-ons of the smash mansion, including match results, statistics, fan favorites, and of course, gossip. He found an article about Link's fight and quickly read through it. The prince was unsurprised to find it full of praise for the young elf's tactics and skills.

Marth turned the pages, not really interested in any of the other articles, trying to keep himself awake. The combination of awaking from nightmares throughout the night and of waking up so early had made Marth unusually tired. An article about Lucas and Ness; tag-team match quickly put him to sleep.

* * *

"Marth? Wake up Marth!"

The young prince slowly awoke as someone tried to wake him from his sleep.

"Wake up!" shouted Pit, the angel boy. "Your match is about to start!"

Marth jolted up from the chair and shoved Pit aside as he started for the platform room.

"What? No 'thank you?'" Pit asked sarcastically.

"Thanks," Marth replied, unemotionally, as he started running.

Pit blushed, embarrassed, from not having expected Marth to actually thank him.

* * *

"Ready… Fight!"

Link dashed from his platform, raising his sword, ready to strike down the opponent before him. His breathing was already labored due to the mental strain that this battle was putting on him. The Master Sword was heavy in his hands and prepared to strike the moment he came within distance of his enemy.

The two quickly closed the gap and Link brought his sword down only to have it slide harmlessly off of the other's armor.

"You'll have to do better than that, Hero of Time," Ganondorf spat at Link as his hand shot out, burning with the power of his dark magick, and connected with the hylian's chest. Link flew backward from the force of the blow, trying to quickly regain his footing as the dark wizard dashed toward him.

Link pulled out a bomb, ignited it, and planted his feet firmly, waiting for Ganondorf to close the distance, and waiting for an easier target. Link threw the bomb just as he saw Ganondorf pull his arm back in preparation to punch, but the wizard quickly dropped his arm and lowered his body to the ground, leg extended in a kick, and propelled himself forward with magick. The bomb flew over Ganondorf's head and Link, seeing that he could not dodge in time, lowered himself into a defensive crouch, hoping that his shield would not break under the strain of the impact.

Ganondorf hit the elf's shield with enough force to send him skidding backward. Just as quickly as he had hit, Ganondorf dashed forward again ready to catch Link off guard as he was still recovering.

Link looked up just in time to see Ganondorf standing above him. The wizard's hands closed around his neck and lifter him into the air with unnatural strength, the Tri-force of power glowing on the back of his left hand. Ganondorf's magick burnt Link's neck as the life slowly drained from his body.

"You arrogant bastard," Ganondorf whispered with intensity, loud enough for only Link to hear. "Don't think that being the Hero of Time makes you invincible," he said, his voice growing louder until he was yelling in Link's face.

He slammed the elf into the ground face first and jumped back, needing a quick reprieve after having used his magick so much.

Link struggled to his feet, yelling at himself mentally to get ready, past battle experiences coming to mind. The Hylian warrior regained his footing and sprinted toward the dark wizard, his sword raised over his head. He quickly closed the distance between himself and Ganondorf; as his opponent started to rise from a kneeling position, Link brought the sword down with all of his remaining strength.

The blade slid harmlessly across the wizard's armor once again and hit the ground with full force, stunning the elf. Ganondorf's hand once again closed around Link's neck, while his other hand pulled back and started to glow with power, readying to strike.

The hand shot forward and connected once again with Link's chest, causing him to fly backward. The Master Sword tore free from his grip as he hit the ground and rolled to a stop. Blood spilled from Link's mouth, forcing him to cough as he choked on it.

Ganondorf was quickly on top of Link, the Sage's Sword in his hand. "Now elf. I will have that Tri-force," he yelled.

"Is power all you think about?" Link yelled accusingly while coughing up blood and trying to stall for time. "What about all of the innocent people that you have killed? What about the king? What could they have possibly done to you?"

"The King of Hyrule," Ganondorf yelled maliciously, "was too proud to give a starving village land to plant crops!" The wizard screamed in rage and, what might have been pain, as he brought the sword down on Link's exposed left wrist, cutting through flesh, muscle, and bone.

Link screamed in agony as he felt the tendons sever and as blood sprayed from his arm, splattering the face and body of the dark wizard, highlighting the bulging muscles on his arms with a gruesome red color. Ganondorf began to rise, holding the hand in front of him as Link struggled to be free.

"I finally have it," Ganondorf whispered triumphantly to himself, his voice mixing with Link's screams. "I finally have Farore' power, the Tri-force of courage." As he said this, the back of Link's severed left hand glowed with the Tri-force's power, clearly visible through the thick leather glove. He gazed down at the screaming elf with piercing eyes. "Shut up!" he yelled, his features contorting; which made his face look even more horrible as Link's blood already covered it.

Ganondorf sliced the sword across Link's chest, easily cutting through the chainmail with the additional help of dark magick and scoring a deep gash. Blood erupted from the wound as Link screamed again, feeling what little life was left ebb away, and choked on the blood that was pooled in his mouth.

Finally, he fell silent and Ganondorf looked at the motionless body, pleased, as it began to fade from view. Ganondorf could also feel himself beginning to disappear.

* * *

Link stumbled off of the platform and fell to the ground, surprised by his sudden return to consciousness. He looked down at his left hand, reattached, as if it had never been cut off, and marveled, once again, at the capabilities of the healing technology in this world.

"No!" yelled Ganondorf as he appeared on one of the other platforms. He spotted Link on the floor and ran over to where the elf boy lay, hoisting him off the ground by his neck. "Give it back," he yelled, his voice quivering with rage. "You bastard! Give me back that Tri-force!"

Ganondorf hurled Link at the far wall; a sickening crack sounded as Link hit it and fell to the floor. The wizard seemed to be standing above Link the very next second, and he was once again hoisted into the air. Link was held against the wall as Ganondorf drew back his hand.

Alarms went off and half a dozen R.O.B. robots stormed into the room. "Give it back," Ganondorf yelled as he unleashed a flurry of devastating punches onto Link's chest, completely oblivious to the robots trying to drag him away.

More robots flooded into the room and began firing lasers to stun the enraged wizard. Ganondorf fell to the floor as the lasers began to take affect.

Link sank to the floor, coughing on blood that was quickly rushing out of his mouth. The R.O.B. robots began to drag away a still protesting Ganondorf as wireframes ran into the room carrying a stretcher. They lifted Link onto the stretcher and rushed him out of the room.

* * *

Marth, Donkey Kong, and Diddy all began to visualize in the platform room. Their match had started a little earlier than planned but a display in the room told him that it had ended after Link's. The display also told him that Ganondorf had won the fight.

He stared in disbelief at the screen as the D.K's exited the room. The prince was sure that a recording of Link's match would be played soon. Marth knew this because his match had been aired live because it started earlier.

He walked out of the room and started in the direction of the lounge. Marth thought to himself, 'How strong must this Ganondorf be to have beaten Link?'

A few minutes later he entered the lounge area where a crowd had gathered to see the recording of the fight. No seats were available so Marth stood in the back of the room trying to be as quiet as possible, because he did not want anyone to notice him. The room was oddly silent except for a few excited whispers which Marth could not hear well enough to make out.

The TV turned on and all the whispers stopped. Marth could feel the tension building in the room. He thought to himself, 'Why is everyone so tense?' The prince felt that something seemed amiss.

"Ready…" the TV started, "Fight!"

* * *

Thirty minutes later the lounge was abuse with activity. Smashers were standing around arguing with each other about what they thought about the fight. Marth was still standing at the back of the room, unable to quite process what he had just seen.

'That can't have been real,' Marth tried to convince himself. 'Something like that can't really have happened… can it have?' He looked around the room and saw the princess Zelda sitting, dumbstruck, alone on the other side of the room. The prince walked over and took a seat next to her, wondering how best to approach the topic.

"So, what just happened?" Marth asked, having decided that a blunt approach would be best.

Zelda merely sat and stared into space. The loud voices, the TV, the music that one of the smashers had started blasting; nothing could wake her from her stupor.

Finally, after five minutes of silence, Zelda looked up at Marth as if just realizing he was there.

"I had no idea," Zelda whispered, almost inaudibly. She looked over at Marth, her eyes and wavering voice betraying what the prince thought might have been fear. "I knew that Link was injured during the fight but I didn't think he would actually have to be hospitalized."

"What?" Marth nearly yelled as he jumped to his feet. "Is Link really in the infirmary?"

"I don't know." Zelda replied feebly. "It was only a rumor but I think it might be true."

Even before Zelda had finished the sentence, Marth had turned and started to run in the direction of the infirmary.

* * *

Link was sitting up in one of the infirmaries beds when Marth burst suddenly into the room. The blue haired warrior just stood in the doorway, taking in Link's condition. The elf's torso and neck were wrapped in bandages and his skin was a little paler than normal.

Marth could not help but feel relieved. After seeing the match, he had been expecting Link's condition to be drastically worse. "What happened?" Marth blurted out, unable to hold the question back any longer, as he walked over and took a seat next to Link's bed.

"Well, it's not from the match," Link said in a serious tone. "If it had been, I'd be dead," he continued, emphasizing the word dead.

Link's bluntness surprised Marth. He had not been expecting the elf to say anything like this. "Well, if it isn't from your match," the prince began tentatively, "then what happened?"

Link tipped his head back and closed his eyes, as if trying to remember exactly what happened. The Hylian warrior sighed and looked back at Marth wishing that the prince had not come. Seeing the prince made Link remember the night before and how defensive he had become when Link nearly kissed him. He did not want Marth to force himself to be around him if it made the blue haired prince feel uncomfortable. Still, Link could not help but feel happy that Marth was worried about him.

The elf sighed again and said, "After the match Ganondorf snapped and attacked me in the platform room. A bunch of robots came to take him away but he had already managed to injure me. Next thing I knew a couple of wireframes were rushing me here on a stretcher."

Marth was dumbfounded as to why the wizard would have attacked Link after having already won the fight though he remembered hearing Ganondorf talking about something called a Tri-force during the match. 'Could that be why Ganondorf attacked Link after the fight?' Marth thought to himself.

Link, who had been looking at the prince the entire time, was glad that Marth was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice. The young elf remembered that he had vowed to avoid the prince for the entire day, but after the incident with Ganondorf Link was glad for the company. 'Besides,' Link thought to himself, 'trying to avoid Marth would be like trying to hide from destiny. Completely impossible.'

As Link watched the prince puzzle over his own thoughts, any ideas of ever trying to avoid the prince were banished from this mind. The more he looked at Marth, the more Link understood why he liked being around him so much. Not only was Marth, by male standards, pretty, but he was also complex. Every time Link was around the prince he could feel layers of built up defenses, against being emotionally hurt, being peeled away. The elf could tell that Marth was a totally different person around him than around the rest of the smashers. 'Maybe,' he thought, 'if I peel away all of those layers then Marth will let me closer to him.'

"Link," Marth began suddenly, "what is the Tri-force?"

Link, a little puzzled by the suddenness of the question, answered, "The power of the goddesses Farore, Nayru, and Din. They're relics in my world that grant incredible power to those who possess them."

"Them? How many are there?"

"Three," Link answered simply. "The Tri-forces of power, wisdom, and courage. I possess the Tri-force of courage. Sometimes, though, this power is more of a curse than a gift." Link once again looked up at the ceiling of the room, memories full of pain and loneliness flooding into his mind.

Marth could only stare at Link, the weight of his last statement having fallen on the prince like a load of bricks. Once again, the idea of what kind of life Link had led invaded Marth's thoughts. It seemed, to Marth, as though Link had known how harsh the real world could be his whole life; unlike him, who had grown up in a castle, protected by guards, and catered to by servants, for his entire childhood. 'Link can probably understand the way that I feel even better than I do,' Marth realized.

The two sat in silence for a moment before Link said, "I don't know much about the other two, but having the Tri-force of courage makes me the current 'Hero of Time,' which means that I have to protect my world from the evils of people like Ganondorf."

Marth did not know whether Link had asked for this kind of power or if it had just been given to him but either way it seemed like too much for one person to be able to handle.

A doctor walked into the room and immediately went over to Link's bedside. "Okay," the doctor said to Link, "you're all done here. The ribs that were cracked have been completely healed. As long as you don't go around getting hit in the chest outside of the arena, you should be fine."

"Thanks," Link said. As he got up off of the bed, he began to take off the bandages that covered his neck. Marth could still see that the skin was red where Ganondorf must have tried to choke him. Link finished taking off the bandages on his chest and reached over to pick up his tunic and chainmail which lay on the stand next to Marth. The prince handed him the bundle of clothes and as Link put them on, the swordsmen walked out of the infirmary.

Link's and Marth's rooms were in the same direction so they walked together. Neither could think of anything to say so they walked in silence. The two passed a couple of people but they did not stop to talk. Instead the looked at Link and then started whispering among themselves when they thought the two were out of hearing distance. Marth and Link kept walking as if they had not heard anything.

* * *

Ten minutes later they were standing in front of the door to Marth's room. "Are you sure that you're feeling well enough to make it back to your room alone?" Marth asked, worried because Link was looking as pale as he had when they had left the infirmary.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Link answered, not quite looking at the prince. "It was only a couple of cracked ribs and the doctor did a remarkably good job mending them."

"Okay," Marth said, barely able to hide his disappointment. "I guess I'll talk to you later then?"

"Yeah," Link replied as Marth opened the door to his room. "Wait," he said suddenly as Marth began to close the door. "Thanks," he said just loud enough for Marth to hear.

Confused, the blue haired swordsman asked, "For what?"

"For coming to see if I was all right. The doctor said that nobody had come to see if I was okay just before you showed up."

"Oh," Marth said. "I was just worried after I saw the footage of the fight and thought that you might be in trouble."

"Yeah. Thanks for worrying," Link replied.

Marth now stood in the open doorway as he talked with Link. The elf could see the concern that showed clearly in the prince's eyes, a stark contrast from the mask that he put on in front of the other fighters. Link was suddenly overcome with the desire to embrace the blue haired warrior. He wanted, so much, to tell Marth that he was okay and to put all other worries out of the prince's mind. Before he was able to dismiss the thought, though, Marth had wrapped his arms around Link.

Link was confused by Marth's sudden show of affection and could only stammer, "But… but last night. You seemed… uncomfortable."

"Well," Marth began, "I was surprised. That was the first time anyone had tried to kiss me for any other reason than that they wanted to become the princess of Altea." His voice betrayed some of the amusement that he was feeling at Link's misconception.

"Oh," Link said, and blushed, embarrassed by his mistake.

"To be quite honest," the prince continued, "the first time that I've really felt at ease since the attack on Altea was when you listened to and hugged me in the kitchen two days ago."

Link could feel Marth's muscles tense as he hugged the elf tighter, as if to emphasize what he had just said. Relief washed over the elf as Marth said these words. He placed his head on Marth's shoulder, glad that the prince did not hate him.

"Thank you," Link said. "I thought that you would start to hate me."

"No," said Marth. "You're the first person I've been able to talk to honestly about how I am feeling since my… my sister," Marth finished the sentence reluctantly.

Link lifted his head off of Marth's shoulder and gazed into the prince's blue eyes for a moment before inching closer and closing the gap between their faces.

Marth's lips were warm, soft, comforting, and so many other indescribable feelings, all at the same time. Link felt the blue haired swordsman tense and then relax in his arms, giving into the sensation. As Link hugged Marth tighter still, he could feel the swordsman's heart racing under his armor.

The two stood like that, in Marth's doorway, for almost a minute before Link broke away.

A little embarrassed at himself, all Link could think to say was, "Thanks again. I'll see you tomorrow." Link blushed an even brighter shade of red and turned in the direction of his room.

Marth stood, dumbfounded, as Link walked away. "See you." He replied feebly.

Link continued to walk down the hall while Marth stepped into his room and silently closed the door.

* * *

Marth lay on his bed, a little over and hour later, his heart was still racing. He reached up and touched two fingers to his lips as if trying to find a trace of the elf. His lips still tingled with the warmth of Link's.

Marth was still a little taken aback at how abruptly Link had left but he also thought to himself, 'I don't think I'll be having any nightmares tonight.'

* * *

Ganondorf stood facing one of the walls in his temporary confinement room. His lips were twisted into a gruesome snarl and his teeth bore menacingly. He punched the wall over and over again in the same spot trying to break through but no amount of strength would make a difference.

"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" Ganondorf screamed as he sank to the floor, back against the wall. He brought his hands up to cover his face but not before a tear slide down his cheek coming to rest on his chin.

* * *

Took a little too long didn't it?


End file.
